Pumice Rock Field of El Peñón
The pumice rock field South West of El Peñón lies in the heart of the Puna. It is the largest Pumice stone concentration in the world, with some stones reaching 20m tall, surrounded by black sand from a volcanic eruption. The Pumice, of purely igneous origin, is produced from a massive explosion of the volcanic stratum. This explosion was so powerful that if one could have seen it, it would be similar to the mushroom cloud produced by a bomb. This cloud has spread the ashes and debris in large areas and in different directions that were crystallized by the effects of the temperature and gave life to these wonderful rocks with special features, with plenty of holes produced by the escape of gases during the chilling stage. This degassing phenomenon made the rock very easy to carve by the winds of the Puna, arid and harsh winds that move freely through the region where they become the best and most prominent Andean rock sculptors.
Size: 4288px × 2848px
Location: Pumice Rock Field of El Peñón, Altiplano, Argentina
Photo credit: © François-Olivier Dommergues / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: altiplano, america, americas, andean, andes, argentin, argentina, argentinian, democracy, el, field, mountain, mountains, peso, peñó, pumice, range, rock, south
